A common problem faced by IT (information technology) managers is to ensure that client systems in their enterprises can boot appropriate software images using appropriate configuration parameters. Formerly, this process typically entailed performing an entire operating system installation for each computer, which was often necessary due to the differences in unrestricted platform configurations within an enterprise. This process was improved by controlling the platform configuration (e.g., by purchasing significant numbers of platforms having the same configurations), which enabled an operating system to be provisioned on a platform by simply copying an installation image corresponding to a given platform configuration to each platform in the enterprise having that configuration.
More recently, there is gathering momentum for implementing network booting of operating systems (OS) across all or portions of an enterprise internet. This is driven by several factors, including a reduced expense (both in capital and maintenance costs) for diskless workstations, enterprise software licensing considerations, configuration management workload for the IT department, and security considerations (viruses, hackers, etc.). Under a network boot, a selected boot image is loaded each time a given platform is started or reset. The provisioning of boot images is typically performed in conjunction with client authentication and security considerations. These selected boot images and configuration parameters must be acquired from selected servers in the enterprise as dictated by the needs of the particular environment, the capabilities or mission of the user, the resources available within the client, etc. Furthermore, these clients should boot consistently and in an interoperable manner regardless of the sources or vendors of the software and the hardware of both client and server machines.
While network booting provides several advantages, particularly improved configuration control and reduced software management requirements, it introduces new problems with respect to network traffic and security considerations. For example, a large enterprise internet may serve 1000's of users. With modern boot images approaching upwards of a gigabyte or more, a significant load is placed on the enterprise internet and boot servers, particularly during timeframes in which system booting is heavy, such as during the start of a work day.